


Snow Eagles

by indigorose50



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mistletoe, No Spoilers, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Relationship, Snow Day, snow fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21947260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigorose50/pseuds/indigorose50
Summary: Ferdinand convinces Hubert to spend some time in the snow with him.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 12
Kudos: 143





	Snow Eagles

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a Holiday/Snowy fluffy story for you all! Really wanted to something short and sweet for these two to celebrate the season. Hope you all have a Happy New Year! <3

Ferdinand couldn’t contain a smile. Sure what he was doing was absolutely childish but at the moment, he didn’t much care. He lay on his back in the snow-covered courtyard, letting the snowflakes fall gently over him. Occasionally he stuck out his tongue when he though a flake was close enough to catch.

It was peaceful. Quiet. Cold, yes, but his many layers kept him insulated well enough. If Ferdinand closed his eyes, he could almost imagine he wasn’t in the middle of the Empire palace. That there was no work to be done.

“You had better have suffered a horrendous wound,” came a voice just above Ferdinand. “I can think of no other justification for this.”

Ferdinand smiled without opening his eyes. “Hello, Hubert.”

He heard Hubert huff. “Why are you napping in the snow? Have you been taking advice from Linhardt?”

“I have, though that is not the cause of this.” Now Ferdinand did look up.

Hubert loomed over him in a way that would have terrified half of Enbarr. His dark hair covered part of his face in its characteristic style, but from this angle, Ferdinand caught a rare look at his other eye. He couldn’t help but stare. Hubert tilted his head. “What are you looking at?”

“You.”

Rolling his eyes, Hubert stepped back. Ferdinand was forced to sit up to keep him in his line of sight. A scarf, such a dark blue it was almost black, was wrapped around Hubert’s neck. He wore his usual gloves, a black double breasted coat with crimson buttons, and the new boots Edelgard had gifted him on the winter solstice a few days ago. It was the most color Ferdinand had seen on him in ages.

Snow dotted Hubert’s hair. It looked almost whimsical, though Hubert’s scowl soiled the vision. “You’re late for the meeting.”

Ferdinand leaned back on his hands, fists curling around snow. “I am not. A proper noble is never late. Silly as I may look, I am aware of the time.”

“Then you are aware that you’re late for being early,” Hubert amended. “We are Her Majesty’s advisors. We should be there before everyone else.”

“There is a least a half hour before the others arrive. That is plenty of time to have a bit of fun and compose ourselves after.”

Hubert wrinkled his nose. “I am already composed.”

With a grin, Ferdinand grabbed Hubert’s hand and tugged. Not enough to bring the other man to the ground but enough to make Ferdinand’s point known. “Join me.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Come now! We have time! Make snow eagles with me.”

“Make— what?”

“Snow eagles!” Ferdinand tugged again. “You lie in the snow and move your arms up and down. It makes wings! Like the Adrestian eagle!”

Hubert had not ripped his hand from Ferdinand’s grip but he also did not look enthralled with the idea. “The eagle has two heads.”

“Then we will simply have to make two eagles to make up for it!”

The logic was immature, Ferdinand knew that. But Petra and Dorothea had gone off to Brigid in the latter half of the summer. Caspar, as a General, spent most of his time away from the palace. Linhardt was fine company— when he was awake and not knee deep in books. Bernadetta was much more sociable than when she had arrived at the officer’s academy, but even she had her limits. Emperor Edelgard had a plethora of duties that kept her unavailable for days at a time.

Ferdinand von Aegir was, in a word, lonely.

Hubert let out a huff, which could be read as either annoyed or amused. Either way it produced a thin puff in front of his face as hot breath met cool air.

Ferdinand knew Hubert was lonely too. He sought Ferdinand out often, even just for them to sit in silence and read beside each other. Sometimes Ferdinand leaned against Hubert’s shoulder when they looked over maps. Sometimes Hubert laced their fingers together when he pulled Ferdinand away from a stall in the market. Sometimes Ferdinand kissed the back of Hubert’s hand when Hubert passed him his tea cup.

And once, recently, at the solstice ball, Hubert led Ferdinand in a dance and held him close.

Ferdinand had no idea what they were doing— but he _did_ know he wanted to make snow eagles with Hubert. Right now.

“I promise we can go straight to the meeting afterwards,” Ferdinand said solemnly. He released Hubert, giving him the freedom to scoff and turn away if he so chose.

“You must also promise to never make me do this again,” Hubert added.

Ferdinand chuckled. “Not unless you want to.”

“I highly doubt I will.”

With that, Hubert walked a few paces and sat down in the snow. Ferdinand giggled into his hand. The fearsome Hubert von Vestra; lying in the snow next to him. No one would believe Ferdinand. He resolved to tell Edelgard anyway, next time they met for tea.

“Well?” Hubert prompted, angling his head to look at Ferdinand.

Ferdinand lay back as well. “Be sure not to move your legs.”

“Why would I? Then it would not look like an eagle.”

“I know such activities do not come naturally to you. Forgive me for attempting to be helpful.” A clump of snow hit Ferdinand in the chin. “You missed,” he lied, for Hubert hadn’t sat up to throw that.

“I know I didn’t.”

Ferdinand picked up a handful of snow and threw it blindly in Hubert’s general direction. “Just make your eagle. We will be late for the meeting if you insist on being juvenile.” He smirked when Hubert let out a clearly exasperated sigh. This was followed by the telltale swishing of arms through snow. Ferdinand followed suit, moving his arms up and down over the frozen ground.

After doing this a few times, Ferdinand stilled and watched the grey sky above him. How warm it must be in Brigid right now. Was Bernadetta aware of how pretty the snow looked outside her window? Was Caspar using the new terrain to train in? Linhardt was surely curled up snug somewhere with a thick tome. No doubt Edelgard was on her way to the meeting.

“You aren’t wearing gloves,” Hubert said suddenly. Only then did Ferdinand realize they had been lying in silence. Hubert must be long finished with his eagle. And what a strange sentence that was to think, Ferdinand realized with a small smile.

“No.” Ferdinand continued staring up at the falling snow. “I did not want people to mistake me for you.”

“Your hands must be freezing.” He heard Hubert sit up, snow crunching as he did so. “Ferdinand, how long have you been out here?”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“Your nose is red.”

“I believe you.”

A pause. “We must be going.”

Ferdinand nodded and sat up. Hubert stood carefully, not stepping onto his impression in the snow. He offered a hand down to Ferdinand. Ferdinand took the hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.

Once he was up, he let go— only for Hubert to grab the hand back and hold it with both his own. He cursed. “You are going to give yourself frostbite.” Hubert began rubbing Ferdinand’s hand with his gloved ones, giving some small amount of heat to Ferdinand’s admittedly numb fingers.

Though his gloves were chilled from grabbing the snow, Hubert’s ministrations did provide a bit of relief. It was additionally helpful when Hubert raised Ferdinand’s hand and breathed hot air onto it.

Hubert’s eyes flicked up to Ferdinand’s before lowering again. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Ferdinand asked quietly. Surely Hubert wouldn’t be embarrassed about these random acts of intimacy _now_. 

“I’m sure there are others who you would rather be spending these sorts of days with. Yet more often than not, you are stuck with me.”

Ferdinand stared at him for a moment. Is that truly what Hubert thought? Ferdinand almost chuckled but it would have soured the moment. For such a smart advisor, Hubert really was a foolish man at times. “I am not settling for you, Hubert von Vestra,” he declared. “Any more than you are settling for me. If anything…” he reached up to brush a bit of snow off Hubert’s shoulder, “I would like to spend _more_ time with you.”

Hubert stopped caressing Ferdinand hand and simply gave it a firm squeeze. “Not making snow eagles, I hope.”

“As I said, not unless you would like to.” Ferdinand leaned to the side to assess their eagles. “For all your complaining you did a fine job!”

“Better than yours. My wings are bigger.”

Now Ferdinand did chuckle. “Just one of your many talents.” He pulled his hand back slowly, already missing the warmth from Hubert’s grasp. The snow was starting to fall faster Wind whipped it around them, and Ferdinand shivered.

Hubert turned to leave. “We should get ready. There is less time than I would like.” Ferdinand followed him away from the snowy courtyard and their near-twin eagles.

At the archway entrance of the courtyard, Hubert suddenly stopped. He spun to face to Ferdinand, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him forward and up into a kiss.

It was chaste and slightly chapped. Nothing like the kisses in operas. It was also over before Ferdinand could properly register what was happening. Impulses were usually Ferdinand’s domain, so why would Hubert—

“Mistletoe.”

“What?”

Hubert looked up at the archway they were standing in. Hanging above them was a sprig of mistletoe, white berries stark against fresh green leaves.

“Bernadetta read that it was bad luck to not kiss under mistletoe,” Hubert went on. Ferdinand’s gaze dropped back to him, though Hubert was resolutely looking away. “It would not be good for Her Majesty if we were to invite bad luck into the palace.”

A warm feeling was creeping up Ferdinand’s spine, melting the cold still soaked into his back and ending in a smile upon his face. He clapped Hubert on the shoulder. “Your keen eyes have saved the Empire,” he said grandly. Hubert snorted and relaxed enough to roll his eyes at Ferdinand’s dramatics. “Let us go inside. I will keep lookout for more mistletoe and perhaps take initiative if we find some.”

“Perhaps after the meeting we can go on a walk to find more.”

“If you will permit me to stop off at my rooms for gloves.”

Hubert laced their fingers together and pulled Ferdinand into the palace proper. “I’m sure I can find an alternate way of keeping your hands warm.”


End file.
